MANILA, Philippines – Gang leaders and their members at the New Bilibid Prison pleaded guilty to the killing of Jun Villamor, the alleged middleman who contacted people to kill broadcaster Percy Lapid in October 2022.

In an order dated June 27, but made public only on Thursday, June 29, Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 206 Presiding Judge Gener Gito convicted the two Bilibid gang members after they pleaded guilty to a lesser offense.

Based on the court order, Batang City Jail commander Alvin Labra, Sputnik Gang commander Aldrin Galicia, and Sputnik Gang assistant commander Joseph Georfo pleaded guilty as accessories in Villamor’s death. The three, including Sputnik Gang member Mario Alvarez who also pleaded guilty, were originally charged as principals “by indispensable cooperation.”

Meanwhile, other Sputnik Gang members, Christian Ramac, Ricky Salgado, Ronnie dela Cruz, and Joel Reyes all pleaded guilty as accomplices. They were originally charged as principals “by direct participation.”

The Muntinlupa court sentenced Labra, Galicia, and Georfo to up to eight years and one day in prison, while Alvarez, Ramac, Salgado, Dela Cruz, and Reyes were sentenced to up to 14 years, eight months, and one day.

Meanwhile, the Bilibid gang leaders were ordered to jointly pay the complainant three sets of P50,000 – as civil indemnity, moral damages, and exemplary damages. The Sputnik Gang members were also ordered to pay three sets of P75,000 for the same set of indemnity and damages.

This is the latest guilty pleading of suspects tagged in Lapid and Villamor’s death. On June 23, Las Piñas City Regional Trial Court Branch 254 Presiding Judge Harold Cesar Hulinganga also sentenced Galicia, Labra, and Alfie Peñaredonda for being accessories in Lapid’s killing after they pleaded guilty to a lesser offense.

Villamor died at the height of the Lapid case. The first autopsy performed by the National Bureau of Investigation showed that he died with “no apparent sign of external physical injury.”

However, the second autopsy performed by forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun revealed that the alleged middleman died after he was suffocated with a plastic bag.

Case archived

In the same order, Presiding Judge Gito moved to archive the Villamor case, where former Bureau of Corrections officials, Gerald Bantag and Ricardo Zulueta, are also implicated.

“Considering that the other accused in this case, accused DG Gerald Bantag y Quitaleg and CT/SSUPT. Ricardo Zulueta y Soriano, are not yet arrested, let this case be sent to the archive subject to revival upon the arrest of said accused.”

Archiving means the case would be temporarily inactive – not active in the court’s docket. The Bantag and Zulueta case has been archived because they have yet to be arrested and could not yet be arraigned.

The Muntinlupa judge, however, clearly stated in his order that the case will be revived once the former BuCor officials are found and arrested. A motion to reinstate the case on docket may also be filed to revive it.

As of writing, the Department of Justice, whose prosecutors handle the case, has yet to release a statement on the court’s latest order. – Rappler.com